Pigeon breeder and racer Steve Bowen displays two bands on the legs of one of his performance racing pigeons in the birds' coop in Grand Junction, Colo.

Written by

Lory Pounder
| The Daily Sentinel

These pigeons are not the ones dragged in by the cat or picking at the garden. These pigeons are trained athletes on high-protein diets that fly up to 500 miles in a day to find their way home.

"People don't realize how important they still are," local pigeon racer and farmer Jerry Donaldson recently told the Grand Junction City Council while explaining the history of carrier pigeons used in the military and noting that some have even received medals of honor. "They are hero pigeons."

Donaldson is part of a passionate local club that participates in the longtime, worldwide sport of pigeon racing ...